


Homecoming, Freshman Year

by Zetal (Rodinia)



Series: SPN Hiatus Writing Challenge 2016 [13]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: First Kiss, High School AU, John Ships It, John Winchester's A+ Parenting Except Not Exactly, M/M, Mean Girl
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-05
Updated: 2016-09-05
Packaged: 2018-08-13 06:54:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,733
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7966816
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rodinia/pseuds/Zetal
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Freshman year, Homecoming.  To Sam, it's pointless.  To Cas, it's something to go to because his sister's on the court.  Both of them will always remember that magical night.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Homecoming, Freshman Year

**Author's Note:**

> Written for this prompt: http://otpisms.tumblr.com/post/149890820142/otp-idea-573  
> Person A and Person B are at a school dance together basically having weird middle/high schooler fun, until the most popular person in school, Person C (who happens to be crushing on B), insults A. A is crushed and runs away while B tells off C and then runs after them. B finds and tells A basically how special they are to cheer them up, and cute kisses ensue.  
> BONUS: It’s their first kiss
> 
> Also written for SPN Hiatus Writing Challenge, Week 15: "I'm trying my best to remain polite, here."

Sam hadn’t planned on going to the homecoming dance, but Anna was making Cas go, and Cas was able to convince Sam to come keep him company. It got easier when they found out that football players, even the JV squad, were expected to go. Football players, cheerleaders, color guard, drum majors, and of course the homecoming court.

Once they got there, it wasn’t too bad. Neither of them were particularly interested in dancing, but they joined in a few times. Their other friends came and said hello. Sam went off to dance with Jess, and while he was gone, Meg came to hang out with Cas. “Having fun, Clarence?”

“Surprisingly, I am.” This was more fun than he’d expected, thanks to Sam. ‘Are you enjoying yourself?”

“Of course!” Meg was freshman class duchess and the most popular person in the school. Homecoming dance was her native environment. Of course she was enjoying herself. “Why are you here?”

Cas rolled his eyes. Meg knew the answer to that perfectly well. “My sister is the junior class duchess. And I’m on the JV football team.”

“I dunno.” Meg looked over the crowd, her eyes narrowing when she caught sight of something. “Did I see you hanging with Sam Winchester earlier?”

“Of course. He and his brother are my best friends.”

“Well, Dean, I get that. Dean’s hot and he’s awesome and everyone loves him. But Sam’s not Dean.” Meg patted Castiel on the arm. “Sam’s a weirdo. He’s smart, he’ll be valedictorian, I bet, but he’s a freak. Do you really wanna sabotage yourself like that? Having him help you with your homework isn’t worth putting up with his wackadoo. He’s got, like, no self-esteem, no friends…”

“He has me. And Meg, I’m trying my best to remain polite, here. I was raised not to strike a girl. But if you don’t stop talking, now, there’s going to be a scene.” Because Castiel had seen Sam starting back to him, stopping, and leaving. He pushed past Meg and went after Sam. He could hear Meg calling out to him, but he ignored her.

He found Sam sitting on the curb, head in his hands. When he got closer, he could hear Sam’s uneven breaths and see the shoulders shaking. He sat beside him, wrapping an arm around him. “Sam, don’t listen to Meg. She doesn’t know you.”

“Yes, she does. You weren’t here then, but back in first grade, Meg and I were so close. It was like we could read each other’s minds. Then she went away for the summer, and when she came back for second grade…” Sam paused to swallow back his tears. “She was completely different.”

Cas shrugged. “So she knew you in first grade. That was eight years ago. She doesn’t know you now.”

“I’m still the same weirdo I was back then. Just a little bigger.”

“She doesn’t know you. Sam, no one who knows you could say the things she was saying.” Cas paused, smiling a little. “Well, one of them, they would. You are smart, and I certainly wouldn’t bet against you for valedictorian.”

Sam snorted. “Yeah. I’m a smart freak.”

“You’re not a freak. How are you supposed to be a freak?”

“Well, I’m smart. Back in kindergarten, I actually had to switch classes after a week because my teacher didn’t know what to do with a kid who could already read and add and subtract and recite the pledge of allegiance and identify the president and senate and governor and all that. Did you know that after the fire, Dean didn’t talk for a long time? But Dad found that if it were for me, Dean was willing to talk. So he made Dean read his homework to me since I didn’t have a mom to teach me things like he’d had, and over time, Dean got used to talking again. And I learned some stuff from it. They didn’t wanna let me skip up a grade because I’m already so young, so I was the freak who was too smart for the teacher. And a lot of people think I’m a freak because Dean and I are so close.”

“So you’re smart and have a good relationship with your brother. Not seeing how either of those are things to be ashamed of.”

“I’m a giant nerd, Cas. You must have noticed. Meg’s mostly right about my lack of friends. There’s you, there’s Dean, there’s Eileen and Jess. That’s it. Usually, I’m happy that way. But having it thrown at me like an accusation, like I’d have more friends if there weren’t something wrong with me…”

“People who define themselves by their popularity, like Meg, think there’s something wrong with people who don’t. But if you think about it… if something bad happened to you, you know that the four of us would absolutely be there, supporting you however we could, as long as you needed us. How many of Meg’s many friends do you think you can say that about?”

Sam blinked back the tears. “That’s true. Three good friends and an awesome brother are way better than twenty fair-weathers. But I just… I don’t fit in. I’m too poor, too smart, too small to be as athletic as I am, Dad’s paranoid military survival training means I have too many weird skills.”

“You’ll grow. Look at Dean. I bet you grow to be even bigger. Senior year, you’re going to be the devastatingly good-looking star of the football and basketball teams valedictorian who’s also most likely to survive the zombie apocalypse. You’ll need a bodyguard to protect you from the girls who want you.”

Sam laughed. “You are so ridiculous. I won’t need a bodyguard. Why the hell would any girl want me?”

“Did I mention the devastating good looks? Sports star? Valedictorian? How about the fact that you tutor after school while you wait for Dean to get off work, whoever wants to show up, for free unless they choose to pay you? You are amazing, Sam. No girl who can’t see that is worth your time.”

Sam fought back a smile. “I don’t want a girl. I’m gay.”

That was news to Cas, but very welcome. “Then no boy who can’t see that is worth your time either. And don’t you dare throw that on the freak pile, because it doesn’t make you a freak. It just makes you gay. In the sense of being homosexual, not as a slur.”

Sam lost the fight, and Cas was thrilled to see the big smile. “You’re ridiculous.”

“And when you smile you’re like actual sunshine. Come on. Feel better?”

“Yeah, I do.” Sam leaned into Cas’s hug. When he pulled back, he narrowed his eyes at Cas. “Wait a minute. Are you just being ridiculous to cheer me up, or do you have a crush on me?”

Cas smirked. “See? Smart.”

“You’re… you could’ve led with that, you know. It’s not Meg who I care what they think. But she’s got the world’s biggest crush on you, and you kinda flirt back…”

Castiel swatted Sam’s shoulder. “And if you think I’d ever pick a girl like Meg over my best friend, I may need to take back all the compliments I’ve given you about your intelligence. I didn’t know you were gay.”

“It’s kinda… I’m still figuring it out, you know? If I were going to be attracted to girls, I’m pretty sure I’d feel some kind of attraction to either Eileen or Jess. They’re both amazing, and I love them as friends. But it’s not like I go panting after anyone with a muscled chest and good shoulders, either. Only you. So I don’t know.”

“It doesn’t matter to me what you identify as. Does Dean know?”

“Are you kidding me? You think I’d tell Dean before I had a good reason to set myself up for that kind of teasing? He’ll kick ass if anyone says or does anything to me for it, but older brother privilege, he will tease me forever." Sam ducked his head so that his bangs fell in his eyes. "Also, if I tell Dean, he’ll make me tell Dad.”

“Your dad won’t care.”

Sam shook his head. “You don’t know that.”

“Yes, I do. Because when I started thinking I might be gay, I talked to your dad. He gave me some good advice and told me that I’d always have somewhere to go if my own family was bad about it.”

“You’re not his son.” But Sam looked up, and there was a glimmer of hope in his eyes.

“So you think he’d bring a gay kid into his house, but he’d think less of his sons for being gay? Actually, I think he kind of… ships us.”

“What.”

“Before I talked to him, he treated our friendship the same way he treated my friendship with Dean. Now he’s always asking me about you, reminds me frequently of what an awesome person you are, not that I need it.”

“Huh. Now that you mention it… he’s always saying nice things about you when I’m around. Asking me about you. I thought it was weird, he sees you like every day and could ask you what you were doing or if you were seeing anyone as easily as he could me.”

Castiel groaned. Sam looked at him curiously. “I shouldn’t have told you your dad ships us. You’re kind of rebellious. I just ruined any chance I had, didn’t I.”

Sam cracked up. “No. I only rebel against Dad being stupid. You and me? I ship it, too. But, you know. Meg wasn’t wrong about my self-confidence, and with you flirting with her…”

“She’s fun to flirt with, but I wouldn’t date her. I love you. I ship it.” Cas leaned in towards Sam, hesitating about an inch away from Sam’s lips. “Can I?”

“If you don’t, I might have to punch you for being the world’s biggest tease.” Cas smiled and kissed Sam.

They were still sitting there, kissing each other, when they heard the rumble of the Impala. Sam jumped to his feet, trying to hide, but Dean leaned out of the window. “Thank God. You two finally figured it out. I was beginning to think I’d have to start dropping subtle hints. And you guys know what a subtle guy I am.”

**Author's Note:**

> I ship me/comments!


End file.
